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Siraj, Bumrah knock down West Indies before Rahul asserts authority with fifty on Day 1

Arnav Chopra

Mohammed Siraj and KL Rahul (Source: @BCCI/X.com)Mohammed Siraj and KL Rahul (Source: @BCCI/X.com)

It was a complete day of dominance for the home side, India, who rocked West Indies for 162 in the first innings and then went on to score 121 for the loss of just two wickets by the end of the first day's play in the first Test at Ahmedabad. On the back of Mohammed Siraj's four-wicket haul and KL Rahul's half-century, India now only trail by 41 runs by the end of day's play.

Here, we take a look at the highlights of Day 1 of the first Test of the two-match series between India and West Indies, as it panned out at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Siraj, Bumrah's lethal spells help India bowl West Indies out for 162

In Ahmedabad, the West Indies side won the toss and opted to bat first, as they lost their first two wickets for just 20 runs on the board, where Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah picked one each.

Later, Brandon King was dismissed by a Mohammed Siraj delivery that came back in, as he tried to leave it alone, but lost his middle stump, and went back to the pavilion for just 13. Subsequently, skipper Roston Chase was also a victim of Siraj, who ended up with figures of 4/40 in his 14 overs.

Spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar also struck, picking two and one wickets respectively, while Jasprit Bumrah came back strong in the second half, dismissing Justin Greaves and Johann Layne with searing yorkers, as West Indies folded for just 162, after playing 44.2 overs where they couldn't even survive two full sessions.

Siraj bowled excellent line and length, testing batters' defence at times and teasing them by bowling deliveries closer to the bat, as he would often beat the bat on multiple occasions. Whereas Bumrah was at his absolute best, getting the batters' stumps flying without even allowing them to get the bat down on time.

Justin Greaves turned out to be the highest scorer for the Caribbean side with 32 runs, coming with four boundaries, while Shai Hope was the second-highest scorer with 26 on the board. The West Indian batting card looked more like a sorry tale as no batter could reach the half-century mark.

Rahul's fifty takes India closer to shutting the deficit

In reply, the Indian batters started off brilliantly, where openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul stitched an outstanding 68-run partnership for the first wicket, following which Jaiswal had to depart for 36. As rain intervened between the innings, putting a halt to play due to the downpour in Ahmedabad.

Following the pause in play, the rain stopped, and the players returned to the centre as the game was resumed. Rahul went on to score 53 not out by the end of the day, while Sai Sudharsan lost his wicket for just 17.

Partnering with Rahul till the end was skipper Shubman Gill, who went on to score 18 not out, taking India to 121 for just two down after playing 38 overs, as they only trailed by 41 runs when the stumps were declared after an extended third session to close out the first day of the first Test in Ahmedabad.

Rahul was particularly magnificent, where his 53 came off 114 deliveries as he found six boundaries, while he was quite careful of which deliveries he had to play and which he had to leave, choosing and picking deliveries at will.

Apart from Jayden Seales and Roston Chase, no other bowler could pick up a wicket. Where Indian batters, despite starting slowly, turned the pace on after the rain break, as they started to score runs more freely in the final couple of hours.